


i can't keep denying (every minute i think of you)

by sapphicplatypus



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gay Disaster Alex Danvers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-25 18:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17126189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicplatypus/pseuds/sapphicplatypus
Summary: Maggie looked at her appraisingly, her chin tilting upwards as she eyed her carefully. After a moment, her lips quirked up in a small smile. “Alright, Danvers.”The one where Alex asks Maggie out without realizing.





	i can't keep denying (every minute i think of you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Super_Danvers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Danvers/gifts).



> This is an exploration of what might have happened if Maggie had said yes to drinks with Alex in 2x04. To make things less complicated, Maggie doesn't have a girlfriend in this AU.
> 
> This was written as part of the Sanvers Secret Santa Gift Exchange for Super_Danvers! I hope you like it!

Alex sighed as she watched Roulette slide into the limousine, her red lips twisted in a triumphant smirk. Alex and Maggie had worked hard to expose Roulette’s crimes and bring her to justice, only for her to slip out of their grasp. There was nothing they could do but stand and watch in defeat as the car drove away.

 

“I should have planted something on her,” said Maggie, drawing Alex’s attention back to the woman in front of her. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a good cop.”

 

“I think you’re a great cop,” Alex said sincerely. She had only been working with Maggie for a little while, but she could already see how dedicated she was to her job and she respected her for it.

 

Maggie tilted her head slightly, a teasing smile on her face. “You gettin’ soft on me?”

 

“No,” Alex said too quickly, scoffing. She was met with a knowing smile from Maggie. “Look,” she continued, “I know, in crappy moments like this, I could use a drink. So, what do you say? First round’s on me.”

 

Maggie looked at her appraisingly, her chin tilting upwards as she eyed her carefully. After a moment, her lips quirked up in a small smile. “Alright, Danvers.”

 

Alex smiled. “Great.”

 

They agreed to meet at the alien bar before heading off in different directions to their respective motorcycles. Several minutes later, as Alex parked her bike in the alley behind the bar, she was struck by how different she felt from the last time she and Maggie had met up there. It hadn’t been very long since then, since the first time she had set foot in what had appeared to be an ordinary dive bar only to realize she was surrounded by aliens of all kinds.

 

In just a couple of weeks, her entire worldview had been knocked on its head. Maggie had broadened her perspective on aliens and helped her to see that they weren’t all violent killers. _Hostiles to be caged_ , as Alex had said. Working at the DEO, Alex had seen the worst of what aliens were capable of, but Maggie had shown her that being an alien didn’t necessarily equate to being an enemy.

 

And then there was her blossoming friendship with Maggie herself. When they first met, Alex couldn’t stand the cocky detective who waltzed onto her crime scene—and it _was_ her crime scene. But now, after working together a handful of times and getting to know each other a bit, Alex could tell that they were on their way to becoming good friends.

 

Alex felt a rush of excitement sweep through her at the idea of becoming closer friends with Maggie. She didn’t have many close friends—or any, besides her sister. Alex spent the majority of her time working, and while she was cordial with some of her coworkers, she wouldn’t consider any of them to be friends. She had never really been interested in spending time with anyone outside of work until Maggie.

 

The flash of headlights caught her eye as Maggie pulled into the alleyway and parked behind her. Alex watched as she pulled off her helmet and ran a hand through her dark hair before dismounting her bike.

 

As Maggie approached, Alex felt a sudden flash of nervousness. This was the first time they would be spending time together as friends rather than colleagues. They had developed an easy banter when they were working, but what if things were different now? What if she couldn’t think of anything to talk about? She didn’t want to mess up and ruin any chance of genuine friendship with Maggie.

 

“Hey, Danvers,” Maggie greeted, an easy smile on her face.

 

Alex smiled back, trying not to let her nerves show. “Hey!”

 

Maggie cocked her head to the side. “Everything okay?”

 

“Yeah! Yes. Everything’s great. Let’s go.” Alex quickly shut her mouth before she could embarrass herself any further.

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah, I’m just...cold,” Alex lied, bouncing on her toes.

 

Maggie looked suspicious but she didn’t comment on it, and Alex was grateful. She blew out a breath as she followed Maggie to the entrance.

 

Once they were inside, they made their way to a booth. “So, what are you having?” Alex asked as soon as they were settled.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

 

“Nope, I said first round’s on me. Let me buy you a drink.”

 

Maggie grinned. “Alright, Danvers. But the next one’s on me.”

 

“Deal.”

 

Several drinks later, Alex’s nerves had melted away. She grinned broadly as Maggie laughed at whatever dumb joke she had just made. Maggie looked so good like this, relaxed and carefree, her brown eyes sparkling with laughter. Alex had never seen her laugh like that before, and she felt proud to be the one who had caused it.

 

When Alex finally tore her gaze away from Maggie’s face, her eyes landed on the pool table in the corner of the room. She gestured toward it. “You wanna play?”

 

Maggie turned to see what she was pointing at before turning back with a grin on her face. “You’re so on, Danvers.”

 

They made their way over to the pool table, and within a few minutes Maggie’s confident grin had been wiped off of her face. They played several rounds, Alex beating her easily every time. Despite her lack of finesse when it came to pool, Maggie was an excellent trash talker, and she kept up with Alex’s playful teasing every step of the way.

 

After losing for a third time, Maggie heaved a dramatic sigh. “I think that’s all I have in me for tonight, Danvers.”

 

Alex grinned. “That’s alright, Sawyer, maybe next time you’ll win a round.”

 

Maggie raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on her face. “Next time, huh?”

 

“I, uh, yeah, I mean I-I had fun and I figured we could do this again? If, if you want.” Alex could feel her cheeks heating up as she talked. She had just assumed that Maggie would want to hang out again. Wasn’t that what friends did?

 

Maggie chuckled, her eyes shining with amusement. “Sounds great, Danvers. You just let me know when.”

 

“Okay,” Alex agreed readily, nodding her head.

 

Before they parted ways for the night, Maggie looked up at her with a small smile. “This was really fun,” she said softly.

 

Alex couldn’t agree more.

* * *

 

“I don’t get the chance to win my money back?” Maggie complained as Alex pocketed the 8 ball.

 

“Uh, with the rate that you play, we’d be here for hours,” Alex teased, waving the bills she had won from Maggie in the previous rounds. “Someone might have to put out an APB.”

 

“Very funny, Danvers.”

 

Alex let out a laugh at Maggie’s sour expression. It had been about a week since the first time they had hung out at the bar, and Alex was delighted at the way their friendship was progressing. She had texted Maggie after work asking if she wanted to meet up again, feeling a thrill run through her when she said yes.

 

“Hey, I’m just stating facts here. I don’t think you’ll be winning any time soon, Sawyer.”

 

“Come on, one more round. Double or nothing.”

 

“For the sake of your wallet, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Alex said with a grin.

 

“Okay, fine,” Maggie acquiesced. “Loser buys the next round?”

 

“Deal.”

 

The next round proceeded as usual, with Alex breezing through each shot and Maggie struggling to keep up. Eventually, Alex took pity on her.

 

“Here,” she said, coming up behind her. “You’re not gonna make that shot.”

 

Maggie scoffed. “You don’t know that.”

 

“Maggie, I think by now we’ve established that I know more than you about pool.” Alex stepped closer, leaning over to grasp Maggie’s cue. “Here, see, you should go for that one.”

 

She readjusted Maggie’s aim, their hands brushing as she shifted to give her an easier target. Alex kept her hand over Maggie’s for a moment longer than necessary, distracted by the pleasant scent of her shampoo. Maggie always smelled so good, she thought absently. After a beat, she leaned back out of Maggie’s space so that she could pull the cue back and connect it with the ball.

 

Even with the easier shot, Maggie still managed to miss her target.

 

“Shit,” she muttered as she straightened back up. Alex thought she noticed a faint flush on her cheeks. Maybe she was embarrassed about missing the shot.

 

“Don’t worry, Sawyer, you just need a little more practice.”

 

Maggie raised an eyebrow.

 

“Okay, a lot more practice,” Alex amended.

 

Maggie grinned. “Guess that just means we’ll have to come back again soon.”

 

“I guess it does,” Alex said with a grin of her own. “Next time I’m not giving you any help.”

 

“Next time, you’re not gonna know what hit you,” Maggie teased. Alex was impressed at how well she kept up her bravado, considering that she was one of the worst pool players she had ever encountered.

 

“We’ll see about that, Sawyer. For now, next round’s on you.”

* * *

 

Alex stared down at her phone, tapping it against her hand as she debated whether or not to call Maggie. After hearing that Maggie had seen three prisoners drop dead right in front of her earlier that day, Alex’s immediate instinct was to call and make sure that she was okay. But as she had gone to make the call, she had hesitated, her thumb hovering over Maggie’s contact.

 

They had been hanging out for several weeks now, seeing each other fairly regularly after work and even once on a weekend. Maggie had quickly become one of Alex’s closest friends, if not her closest friend. But still, she wasn’t sure if it would be okay to call and check up on her like this. Up until now, most of their interactions had been fairly lighthearted, largely consisting of teasing and trash talk over the pool table. She didn’t want to weird Maggie out by showing how much she cared after only knowing her for such a short time.

 

Eventually, her concern for Maggie won out and she hit the call button.

 

“Danvers?” Maggie’s voice came through after a few seconds.

 

“Hey, Sawyer,” Alex greeted, wishing she had thought through what she was going to say.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Well, I, uh, I heard what happened today. And I just wanted to, you know, make sure you were doing okay.”

 

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I’m…I’m fine.”

 

“You sure?”

 

Maggie let out a quiet sigh. “It’s okay, Danvers, you didn’t have to—”

 

“But I wanted to. I was...I was worried about you,” she confessed quietly.

 

There was another pause before Maggie responded. “Listen, I’m about to head to the bar to drown my sorrows. You want to join me?”

 

A small smile flitted across Alex’s face. “I’ll see you there.”

 

When she arrived, Maggie was already sitting at a table, three shot glasses lined up in front of her. Alex slid into the seat across from her, leaning her elbows on the table.

 

“You want to talk about anything?”

 

Maggie shrugged weakly. “Not really. I just...wanted some company, if that’s okay with you.”

 

“Of course. Whatever you need,” Alex said earnestly, her expression soft and understanding.

 

Maggie gave a small smile in return before raising one of the glasses to her lips.

 

They didn’t talk much that night, but Alex felt something shift between them as they sat together. In her mind, Maggie was always so tough and unflappable, and it was jarring to see her act so vulnerable. Alex knew that she was witnessing a side of Maggie that not many people got to see and she felt honored that Maggie trusted her enough to let her in, even just this little bit.

 

At the end of the night, Maggie looked up at her with a sheepish grin. “Thanks for keeping me company. I just...got a little freaked today. I’ve seen some crazy stuff since I joined the science force, but that was...that was…” She trailed off for a moment, a faraway look in her eye. Before Alex could ask, Maggie shook her head slightly. “Anyway, um. I’ll see you around?”

 

“Yeah,” Alex said with a soft smile.

 

Maggie took a breath, hesitating for a moment as her eyes searched Alex’s face. After a few seconds, she turned to leave, throwing one last smile over her shoulder in Alex’s direction.

 

Alex stood rooted to the spot as she watched her go, a feeling she couldn’t name swirling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

 

“Shit,” Alex said out loud to herself.

 

She was alone in her apartment on a Sunday evening. After over a week of sleepless nights and incessant questioning thoughts, she had finally admitted to herself that she had developed feelings for Maggie. She had called up Kara that afternoon and talked things out with her to the best of her ability. She was still feeling confused, but getting some of her thoughts off her chest had afforded her a bit more clarity.

 

Now that she was alone again, all of her thoughts and feelings were catching up with her, and she was struck by the reality that this—liking women, being gay—was her new reality. And now that she was painfully aware of her giant crush on Maggie, it was going to make everything complicated. At this point, it was safe to say that Maggie had become her best friend, and Alex didn’t want her feelings to get in the way of their friendship. And while she was desperate to be more than friends with Maggie, there was no way Maggie would ever feel the same way.

 

The following Friday, she received a text from Maggie asking if she wanted to hang out after work. She stood frozen in the middle of the DEO for a long moment with her phone in her hands, unsure of how to respond. If she said no, Maggie would surely know that something was up. If she said yes, she knew how difficult it would be to keep her feelings in check. Eventually, she decided that it was better to just try to act normal so that Maggie wouldn’t suspect anything.

 

That night, as she entered the bar, she saw Maggie already waiting for her by the pool table. She was wearing a white button down shirt, loosely tucked into a pair of tight jeans in a way that looked effortlessly cool and (Alex could finally admit to herself) incredibly hot. When Maggie caught her eye across the room, her entire face lit up, her dimples indenting her cheeks as she smiled.

 

She was so beautiful. Alex was fucked.

 

Alex made her way over, trying to discreetly take deep breaths in an effort to calm her racing heart. “Hey!” she greeted, her voice coming out higher than usual.

 

“Hey,” Maggie said, a curious look on her face.

 

Alex busied herself with racking the balls, hoping that Maggie wouldn’t say anything. Thankfully, Maggie made no comment.

 

As the game went on, Alex slowly felt herself relax into the familiar routine. Although Maggie had improved a bit, she was still pretty terrible at pool, so Alex was winning as usual. As always, they traded playful taunts and insults back and forth across the pool table as they played. They laughed and joked and drank their beers and everything felt the same as it had every other time they had hung out together.

 

However, in the quiet moments when Maggie was leaned over the pool table, biting at her lower lip in concentration as she took her aim, Alex was reminded of what was different this time. She wanted to know what it was like to kiss Maggie’s lips, to run her fingers through her hair.

 

She stood transfixed as her eyes traveled from the rolled up sleeve of Maggie’s white shirt down her tensed forearm to where her hand gripped the pool cue. She felt her cheeks getting warm as she let her gaze drop lower, appreciating the way Maggie’s jeans clung to her legs. As Maggie turned around, Alex snapped her gaze back upwards, her eyes wide.

 

Maggie looked at her with that same curious expression, her head tilting slightly as she regarded her. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Hmm? Yeah! Yeah. Yes.”

 

“You sure?” Maggie asked, moving closer. Alex’s heart rate quickened at her sudden proximity. Maggie reached forward, taking Alex’s hand in her own and squeezing it gently. “You seem a little...jumpy tonight.”

 

Alex stared down at their clasped hands, willing her heart not to leap out of her chest. She was overwhelmed, not entirely sure if she wanted to hold on tighter and never let go or drop Maggie’s hand and run away. When she didn’t respond right away, Maggie rubbed her thumb in soft circles over her hand. The gesture was clearly meant to be soothing, but all it did was set Alex’s skin on fire. Having Maggie this close to her, touching her, was making her dizzy.

 

“I, uh—” It was all too much, and Alex needed to get out. “I have to go.”

 

She turned on her heel and sped toward the exit, barely registering Maggie’s voice calling out behind her. Once she was outside, she leaned back against the wall next to her bike, tipping her head back and letting out a shaky breath. Coming here was a mistake. Clearly, she was incapable of keeping her feelings in check around Maggie. And now she had made a complete fool out of herself in front of her. Alex let out a groan, squeezing her eyes shut.

 

“Danvers?”

 

Her eyes snapped open. “Maggie, I—I’m sorry.”

 

Maggie’s eyes were soft, concern etched across her features. “What’s going on?”

 

Alex shook her head. “Nothing. I just, I just...it’s nothing.”

 

“Alex,” she said softly.

 

Alex’s heart fluttered. “It’s, um, well, there’s just...there’s this...thing.”

 

Maggie nodded, silently encouraging her to continue.

 

“It’s been making things kind of...complicated for me, and I just, um…”

 

“Hey, whatever the problem is, I’m sure we can—”

 

“It’s you,” Alex blurted.

 

Maggie took a step back, a flash of hurt passing over her face before she schooled her expression. “What?”

 

“No!” Alex exclaimed. “I mean it’s, you’re, I...I like you,” she finally admitted, the words tumbling out on a heavy sigh.

 

Maggie’s face scrunched up in a puzzled expression. She looked adorable, noted the part of Alex’s brain that wasn’t devoted to sheer panic. “Yeah, Danvers, I like you too,” she said, her tone laced with confusion.

 

“No, I mean…” Alex’s cheeks burned. “I have...feelings for you,” she said quietly, averting her gaze. “Romantic ones.”

 

“I mean, yeah, I would hope so.”

 

That was not the reaction Alex was expecting. “I—what?”

 

“Danvers, seriously, are you okay?” Maggie asked, moving closer and bringing her hand up to Alex’s forehead.

 

“I...I just told you that I, that I _like_ you and you’re, uh, not really reacting like I thought you would.” Alex laughed nervously. “Not that I was planning on telling you tonight, obviously. Or, you know, ever, but I...I did. I just...did.”

 

“Alex. We’ve been dating for the past month, I’m pretty sure I knew that you liked me.”

 

Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “ _What?_ ”

 

A slight frown pulled at Maggie’s lips, her brow furrowing as her mind worked. “I...did you not…”

 

“You thought we were dating?”

 

“Weren’t we?”

 

“I mean, I have...definitely had feelings for you this whole time, but I, I didn’t even know about that until a few days ago. Or, well, I guess I knew but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I mean, how could I not like you, right?” Alex stumbled over her words as she tried to keep up with her racing thoughts.

 

Maggie was silent for a moment, trying to keep up. “So when you asked me to get drinks that night, you weren’t asking me out?”

 

“After Roulette?”

 

Maggie nodded.

 

“No, I wasn’t, at least not, you know, consciously. I just wanted to spend more time with you. Which, in retrospect...I should have realized some things sooner.” She let out a self-deprecating laugh.

 

After a moment, Maggie chuckled. “Wow.”

 

“What?”

 

“I just...I just thought you wanted to take things really slow. Turns out we weren’t taking things anywhere.”

 

Alex let out a snort, and soon her shoulders were shaking with the force of her laughter. Maggie joined in soon after, both of them unable to stop for a long while.

 

As Alex finally regained her composure, she looked down at Maggie, smiling fondly. After a moment, she let out a quiet gasp.

 

“Wait.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Didn’t you say earlier, um…” Alex trailed off for a moment, shy. “If you thought we were dating that whole time, does that...does that mean you like me too?”

 

Maggie smiled bashfully, her gaze dropping to her feet. “Yeah, Danvers, of course I like you.”

 

Alex grinned broadly, taking a step closer. “Good. ‘Cause I like you too.”

 

“I think we’ve established that,” Maggie said teasingly, her eyes sparkling.

 

Alex rolled her eyes playfully, still smiling.

 

“We’re gonna have to talk about this some more, but um…” Maggie bit her lip. “Right now, I just...I really want to kiss you.”

 

Alex felt her heart pounding in her chest, her hands trembling slightly as she reached to gently cup Maggie’s face. She leaned down slowly, feeling Maggie move to close the distance between them. Their lips met softly, and Alex felt like she was flying. All of her senses were taken over by Maggie—the taste of her lips, the familiar scent of her shampoo, the softness of her skin against Alex’s calloused hands.

 

As they kissed, Alex tightened her grip, sliding her fingers into Maggie’s hair. She wanted to be as close to her as possible. When Maggie’s hands came up to grasp her elbows, Alex felt giddy with the knowledge that Maggie wanted her just as much.

 

As they parted, Alex kept her eyes closed, savoring the moment. When she opened them, Maggie was looking at her affectionately, her eyes shining in the dim light of the alleyway.

 

A smile blossomed on Maggie’s lips, her eyelashes fluttering as she dropped her gaze briefly before looking back up at Alex. “I have been wanting to do that,” she confessed softly.

 

Alex felt a blush rising on her cheeks. “Me too.” She cracked a smile. “Not as long as you have, though, apparently.”

 

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up Danvers.”

 

“I still can’t believe you thought we were dating that whole time.”

 

“I can’t believe you thought those were completely platonic outings.”

 

“All we ever did was play pool! There’s nothing romantic about that,” Alex insisted.

 

“Yeah? You pull that ‘let me lean over you and show you how it’s done’ move with all your friends?” Maggie challenged, raising an eyebrow.

 

Alex’s cheeks reddened even further. “I...I…” She stuttered as she tried to come up with a response.

 

Maggie grinned triumphantly.

 

“Okay, fine,” Alex relented, groaning dramatically. “I can see how you could have...interpreted things differently.”

 

“Mm-hm,” Maggie said smugly.

 

“Whatever, Sawyer.”

 

They shared a laugh as Alex walked Maggie to her bike, parked a few feet behind her own. After a promise to talk things through in the coming days and a few more stolen kisses, Maggie was putting on her helmet and pulling out of the alley.

 

As Alex walked back to her own bike, she sighed happily. She brought her hand up to her mouth, already missing the feeling of Maggie’s lips. As she mounted her bike, she smiled to herself.

 

She couldn’t wait to take Maggie on a real date.


End file.
